Board and Working Groups

Our Board consists of some of the most influential business and community leaders in British Columbia.

Board of Directors

Chair: Bob Elton, Executive Chair of Powertech Labs

and Board of Directors of BCHydro.

Bob Elton joined Powerex, a subsidiary company of BC Hydro, in December 2001 as Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed to Executive Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of BC Hydro in March 2002 and was subsequently appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in 2003.

Bob received his Master of Arts from Cambridge University, England. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1976 and is a Chartered Business Valuator as well as a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. He was with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP for over 20 years and became a partner in 1987. From 1996 to 2001, he was Chief Financial Officer of Eldorado Gold Corporation.

Bob is also involved in various civic and community activities, including acting as Chair for the Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and as a Director for the Vancouver Board of Trade.

Eyob Naizghi, Executive Director, MOSAIC
Faye Wightman, Ex-Officio. President and CEO, Vancouver Foundation (Host organization)
Ida Goodreau, Corporate Director, LifeLabs
Jim Sinclair, President, BC Federation of Labour
John Winter, President and CEO of BC Chamber of Commerce
Kevin Evans, CEO, BC Industry Training Authority
Lindsay Gordon, President and CEO, HSBC
Mabel Tung, Provincial Treasurer, BC Nurses' Union
Mark Startup, President and CEO, Shelfspace
Mason Loh, President, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
Patricia Woroch, President and CEO, Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISS of BC)
Penny Ballem, City Manager, City of Vancouver
Robert Godfrey, Regional Director General, BC and Yukon Region, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Robin Ciceri, President, Research Universities Council of BC.
Stephen Owen, Vice President, External, Legal and Community Relations, UBC
Tung Chan, CEO, SUCCESS
Vera Frinton, Doctor and Vancouver Foundation Board Member
Virginia Greene, President and CEO, Business Council of BC
Wayne Peppard, Executive Director, BC Building Trades Union

Working Groups

The Immigrant Employment Council of BC’s working groups consist of Board members and members from the Leadership Council who represent the business community and educational and immigrant serving organizations.

The working groups are focused on developing and implementing collaborative solutions to connect employers and immigrants more quickly and effectively.

Employer Resources

Research, develop and implement initiatives to assist BC’s employers, in particular SMEs, to attract, hire and retain immigrants.

Working Group Members

City of Vancouver - Employer
Vancity Group -Employer
Back in Motion – Employer & Service Provider
Safeway - Employer
Immigrant Services Society of BC – Employer & Service Provider
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations - Employer
BC Business Council – Employer Association
Home Depot - Employer
BC Human Resources Management Association (BCHRMA) – Member Association
BC Chamber of Commerce – Employer Association
Foreign Qualifications Initiatives. Labour Market Development Branch – Provincial Government
LifeLabs - Employer
Citizenship and Immigration Canada - British Columbia and Yukon Region – Federal Government
BC Hydro - Employer

Communications

Work to inform and educate the public and other stakeholders about the social and economic value of immigrants and reduce bias so immigrants can find meaningful work

Working Group Members

BC Federation of Labour – Federal Government
Vancouver Foundation - Employer
Immigration Partnerships Branch – Provincial Government
City of Vancouver - Municipal Government
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) - Government
Industry Training Authority (ITA) – Employer Association
Ethno Business Council - Employer
TELUS - Employer
Multiculturalism and Inclusive Communities Office, Ministry of Citizens' Services - Government
SUCCESS – Service Provider
Canadian Immigrant Magazine - Employer
ASPECT – Service Provider
AMSSA – Service Provider

Programs & Services

Facilitate the establishment of new, or enhance existing immigrant employment programs and services that results in higher levels of integration of immigrants into the labour market.

Working Group Members

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Employer
Vancouver Coastal Health - Employer
The Training Group, Douglas College – Education & Service Provider
Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISS of BC) – Service Provider
Burnaby Board of Trade – Industry Association
Resource Training Organization – Service Provider
MWH Canada Inc. - Employer
MOSAIC – Service Provider
Asia Pacific Foundation - Employer
Lesley Wood Bernbaum & Associates - Consultant
Vancouver Community College (VCC) - Education
Immigrant Integration Branch - Government
Diversity CLUES/BCITP Net – Consultant & Service Provider
BC Construction Ass'n/IStep – Employer Association and Service Provider
Employment Initiative for Immigrants Unit - Government
Ministry of Housing and Social Development - Government
BC Building Trades Union - Labour

Service Providers

Develop and implement new, collaborative strategies to outreach to employers

Working Group Members

The Training Group, Douglas College - Education & Service Provider
Back in Motion - Employer & Service Provider
Immigrant Service Society (ISS of BC) – Service Provider
SUCCESS - Service Provider
DiverseCity - Service Provider
Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) - Service Provider

Board and Working Groups

Chair: Bob Elton, Executive Chair of Powertech Labs

and Board of Directors of BCHydro.

Working Groups

Employer Resources

Communications

Programs & Services

Service Providers

About Us